Prison Planet
by thejollydoctor
Summary: After an unexpected meeting with Jack Harkness, the Doctor agrees to give him a ride to Clom. Jack's trip is delayed when the largest planet in the universe, Plevny, pulls the Tardis into it's gravitational field.
1. Introduction

The Doctor closed the Tardis doors and walked over to the worn yellow seat to sit down.

"Where to next?" he asked aloud.

He looked up sadly, wishing someone else was traveling with him. Anyone would do as long as they didn't try to take control or ask stupid questions.

"I know!" he said to himself. "I'll go to Apalapacia. Lots of friendly two-hearted people, just like me. Maybe one of them will want to travel."

He set the coordinates, checked the helmic regulator and the Tardis flew up into the sky.

Drifting wasn't the usual way the Tardis traveled. Normally it would dematerialize and then materialize somewhere new. This time The Doctor was in no hurry, so he decided to take the scenic route.

Just as the Tardis left the Earth's atmosphere a force jostled it and began pulling it in.

"What is it now?" The Doctor moaned. "I had a set course!"

He checked the scanner to find that the Tardis was moving steadily towards Cardiff.

"Can't be the rift, can it?" he mumbled to the Tardis. "I fueled you up not too long ago."

Whatever was pulling the Tardis seemed to be somewhat terrestrial, so The Doctor sat back down and waited for the landing. Moments later the Tardis was put down with a 'clunk', and a rambunctious knocking came at the door. Despite his better judgement, The Doctor's curiosity overwhelmed him and he ran to open the doors.

"Hello, Doc," said a familiar voice, "The computers picked you up and I thought I'd hitch a ride."

"Jack!" The Doctor squawked. "How did you pull in the Tardis?"

"A crude transmat device. The gang's still working on refining it."

The Doctor closed the doors after Jack stepped inside.

"That's not possible," he scoffed. "It takes more than a simple transmat to pull her in."

"Satellite 5 penetrated the shield with a transmat once," Captain Jack pointed out.

"That was a very powerf-"

"But I didn't have to penetrate the shield."

The Doctor mumbled to himself and ran up to the console, trying to block Jack out.

"Fine, you can ride with me," he consented, "but just this once. Where are you headed?"

"Clom," Jack replied.

"Clom? Why would you want to go there?"

"I don't. I'm investigating something, so I have no choice."

"I don't envy you. I'll take you there, but you'll have to find your own way home. I've got things to do."

"Oho!" Jack laughed, "What might that be? You were drifting when I found you."

"Jack, what's Rule 7?"

"Don't patronize The Doctor."

"Stick to it or I'll throw you out the doors."


	2. Chapter 1

The Tardis was en route to Clom when yet another disturbance surprised The Doctor.

"Jack, you're not wanted on any planets are you?" The Doctor asked as he stared at the scanner.

"Mm. That all depends on what kind of 'wanted' you mean."

"I mean wanted badly enough for someone to take the trouble to throw us off course."

"What?!"

Jack looked over The Doctor's shoulder at the scanner.

"This is Plevny!" he said with a tone of disgust. "Why are we at Plevny?"

The screen showed a dark, rocky planet just below them, with nine moons and tons of space-junk orbiting above the atmosphere.

"I'm not sure," The Doctor mused. "Something pulled us into the Plevnic System and then the gravitational field got us. It IS the largest planet in the universe, so that would about do it. It can pull in almost anything that enters this galaxy."

"Clom isn't anywhere near Plevny," Jack noted.

"When the Tardis dematerializes it makes it easier for natural forces to pull her in because she becomes virtually weightless. We must have passed just outside the system on our way to Clom."

"Perhaps we can wire up the extrapolator to boost us out of here."

"No, that'd never work," The Doctor sighed. "It wouldn't be able to manage the entire Tardis. She's as big as a planet."

"Then we're stranded?"

"Yup."

The Doctor leaned against the console with his back to it and stared down at his shoes, thinking.

"Unless…" he whispered.

"Unless what?"

"Well, I was going to say that we could wait for someone to pull us into the atmosphere with some sort of tractor beam, but the likelihood is too slim. We'd never get that lucky."

A clang resounded through the Tardis just as The Doctor finished his last sentence. Jack leaned to look behind The Doctor at the scanner.

"We're being pulled in by a tractor beam."

"You're kidding," The Doctor said without moving.

"Nope. We got lucky."

"Jack," The Doctor mumbled, "Every time I see you something completely impossible happens."

"Yeah, I know. I'm 'the impossible man'."

The Doctor looked impatiently at the screen as the Tardis neared the ground. He gave up watching and walked up to the doors. Whatever was about to happen was going to be incredible, and he didn't want to have to wait, or miss out on it, no matter how dangerous it was.

"Staring at the doors won't make time go faster," Jack teased.

"Rule 32?"

"Never question a Time Lord about his timing," Jack groaned.

"The closer I am to the doors, the less time it will take to step out once we've landed," The Doctor explained. "Do us both a favor and keep quiet. You'll only cause trouble with the locals."

"Locals?"

"Yeah…"

The Tardis hit the ground abruptly and The Doctor opened the doors.

"…the Plevnians!"

Three humanoid beings stood in front of the Tardis, holding ray guns. They jumped back as the doors flew open and The Doctor stepped out.

"Hello Plevny natives," he continued without wavering. "My name is The Doctor, and I come in peace. Also, your ray guns are useless while the Tardis shield is up."

"You say that you come in peace, but what about your friend?" the middle one asked.

He pointed to Jack, who was now standing behind The Doctor.

"Oh, Jack? He's relatively harmless."

"I'm more dangerous than you!" Jack protested. "You don't even carry a gun."

"Jack, I told you to keep quiet. That's not a good first impression to leave."

"Right, sorry," Jack apologized sarcastically, "Nice to meet you, Plevnians. I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and I come relatively in peace."


End file.
